Nessa is a mother of two living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

Editor’s Note:  Nessa brings us 4 fabulous recipes to use turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving.  Do you have turkey leftover recipes to share?  Leave the links in the comments below!

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful day of food, family, and fellowship. The day after is often the day of turkey leftovers. So, I decided to share some of my favorite ways to use up all those delicious bits you have left after the big meal is done.

There are so many things you can do with cooked turkey leftovers! A good rule of thumb is that if you can use chicken, you can most likely use turkey instead. I’ve done everything from turkey salad to turkey enchiladas with great results. Here are a few more turkey leftovers ideas for you. Enjoy!

King Ranch Turkey – Leftover turkey is fabulous in place of the traditional chicken in this Texas casserole favorite.

Turkey Tetrazzini – This is a great dish that my family loves when it’s cold outside. There are lots of good recipes available on the web for this. I make mine by making a simple white gravy with lots of onions, garlic, and black pepper.  This casserole is great when topped with bread crumbs and/ or cheese before baking.

1. Cook a pot of pasta while you are making the gravy.
2. Add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to the pasta right before you drain it, the heat from the pasta will help defrost the veggies.
3. Add shredded up turkey tot he gravy once it’s done, then mix it into the pasta veggie mixture.
4. Pour all into a greased casserole and bake at 350 degrees until heated through.

Next, you’ll want to read Nessa’s  Cowboy Brunch.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of our recipes!

We originally published The Day After Thanksgiving – Recipes to Use Turkey Leftovers on November 23, 2009.  Find more cooking articles at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, and Homemaker Mondays.

The video below demonstrates how to thaw a turkey quickly.

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Want more? We’ve got enough How To videos and instructions to keep you busy all day!

Make sure you also read our article on How to Cook a Turkey in case this is your first Thanksgiving being in charge of the bird.  We won’t leave you on your own to figure it out!  You can cook a prize-winning turkey dinner with no experience at all.

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Want more? We’ve got lots of How To videos and instructions.

Throw in some fun history of the pilgrim festivities and how they’ve evolved over the years and you’ve got one fantastic Thanksgiving infographic!

The Thanksgiving Day infographic was created by CreditDonkey with data and research from the US Census Bureau, Gallup, History.com, Epicurious, and AAA.

via

Even if you’re not keen on keeping around the heavy orange tones when breaking down your Halloween décor to transition into Thanksgiving, you can do this and match the pumpkins to your preferred color.

This glittering of the pumpkins will work with any color – just use a clear-drying glue and add the glitter of your choice!  I like to use a flameless candle in my pumpkins too.  Safety first!

Source: everythingfab.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Get more Wordless Wednesday at WordlessWednesday.com and 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

Start Planning Thanksgiving by Choosing a Location

With 11 short days left before Thanksgiving (in the USA), its time to start planning Thanksgiving dinner for those of us who have been procrastinating!  A little Thanksgiving dinner planning now will go a long way towards lowering your stress level on Turkey Day.

Where should you start with your Thanksgiving dinner preparation?  Every large project can be traced back to one single starting place, so today let’s choose the location for your Thanksgiving feast first. 

You’ll need to email or call your family members to get started planning your Thanksgiving celebration by deciding the location together.  Use the sample questions listed below to help you figure out the specifics for your holiday.

Those with large families in the same town/area will be choosing a location:

• At whose house will dinner be held?
• If no family members have a house large enough for the gathering, will you rent a hall or room at a restaurant?
• If renting a location, who will pay?

Those with families living in distant locations will be deciding:

• What town will Thanksgiving be in?
• Which family members will be traveling, and which will be hosting in their town?
• Is the hosting family’s house large enough to host Thanksgiving dinner?
• If renting a hall or room at a restaurant, who will pay?
• Does the hosting family have room for out of town guests to stay with them, or should they book hotels now?

Those with small families (parents and kids only without extended family):

• Will you have Thanksgiving at home or will you go to a restaurant to eliminate the cooking?
• Will you have a mini-Thanksgiving dinner for just you and your spouse after you put the young children to bed?

If you are military deployed or military stationed away from family:

• Are there friends or other families you will spend your holiday with?
• Can your family back home include you via technology (call in, webcam, etc.)?
• Will you travel home to be with your family for Thanksgiving?

If Thanksgiving is being hosted at your house:

• Is your dining table big enough to fit all the guests?
• Do you need to bring in additional chairs or tables?
• Will you have a separate kids’ table?  Will it be in the same area as the adults’ table or in a separate area due to space constraints?

Every family has different circumstances, which means the decision you make will fit your unique situation.  Go with what feels right, keeping in mind that Thanksgiving is a holiday during which we give thanks for the people that mean the most to us.

Don’t feel guilty if you’d rather go to a restaurant and skip the cooking so you can spend quality time talking with your loved ones!  Make a choice that is right for your family and kick-start your Thanksgiving planning today.

We originally published Get Ready for Thanksgiving: Location Location Location on November 10, 2008.  Photo credit.

My sister-in-law made the amazing Thanksgiving centerpiece above back in 2009 for Thanksgiving dinner.  It was a little too amazing, because the kids started picking it apart and eating it before it was time for dinner!

This turkey sculpture includes melon, cheddar cheese cubes, wooden skewers, pear, raisings, grapes, and red, orange, and yellow peppers.

Thanksgiving Centerpiece: Creative Turkey Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Sculpture is linked to WordlessWednesday.com and 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

How to Cook a Turkey

Everyone should know how to cook a turkey.  The teaching of this basic skill, however, is often neglected in our upbringing! This step-by-step tutorial on how to cook a turkey is designed for cooks of all levels.  Even if you’ve never attempted any major cooking projects before, this will allow you to produce a beautiful bird for your family’s holiday meal.

We have also included a video tutorial for the visual learners: How to Cook a Turkey. The video even includes some helpful hints about cooking times, temperatures, stuffing, and more. (Subscribers will have to click through to HomeEverAfter.com to view the video.)

How to Cook a Turkey: Step by Step

1.  Start with a defrosted turkey.  Thaw a frozen turkey in your refrigerator for 3-4 days before cooking.

2.  Take the plastic off the turkey. 

3.  Take the neck out of the body cavity.  You can save the turkey neck if you like to eat it or throw it away.

4.  Remove the giblets from the neck cavity.  If you want to make gravy out of the giblets, set them aside for later.  Otherwise, throw them away.

5.  Rinse the outside of the turkey with water.  The goal is to remove any plastic pieces left on the turkey from the packaging or debris that may have picked up at the packaging plant.

6.  Rinse the inside of the turkey with water.  Make sure the inside of the turkey is clean by running water from the faucet into the empty body cavity, then dumping the water back out.

7.  Pull the wings over the breasts. As if the turkey is doing a yoga pose, bend the wings up and over the breasts to keep them from burning during cooking.

8.  Put the turkey in a roasting pan. If cooking the turkey neck, add it to the pan as well.  Follow the directions below, depending on if your roasting pan has a lid or not.

When Using a Roasting Pan with a Lid

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Bake the turkey covered for approximately 1 hour per 5 pounds of turkey.
• When the time is up, check the temperature with the meat thermometer.  The goal is to reach 170°.
• When 170° is reached, raise the oven temperature to 450°.
• Put back into the oven uncovered for 15 minutes.
• Remove the turkey from the oven when it is golden brown.  Check the temperature again to make sure it has reached 185°. 
• Let sit, covered, for 15 minutes to seal in the juices.

When Using a Disposable Pan (or Pan with No Lid)

• Preheat the oven to 325°.
• Mold aluminum foil over the front half of the turkey, covering the breasts.
• Make a handle on the foil over the turkey’s neck area.
• Take the foil shield off the turkey.
• Cook the turkey uncovered for approximately 1 hour per 5 pounds of turkey.
• When the time is up, check the temperature with the meat thermometer.  The goal is to reach 185°.
• If the turkey is as golden brown as you want, then put the breast shield on over the breasts to keep them from getting too dark.
• Continue cooking the turkey with the foil shield in place until it is the desired color.  Make sure the internal temperature is 185°.
• Remove from oven.
• Cover loosely with tin foil for 15 minutes to seal in the juices.

The final step is to serve a wonderful, golden brown turkey on your holiday table.  Wasn’t that easy? Great work!

Turkey photo courtesy of stock.xchng. Video courtesy of IS World Media.

At left, you can see a shot of the kids’ tables at our family Thanksgiving a few years ago.  This only pictured some of the children and their tables were downstairs – now imagine all the adults upstairs!  A packed house, tons of people, chaos, food… you get the idea. 

It can be easy to get wrapped up in making the preparations – so wrapped up, in fact, that you ignore the people who are there to see you, not just eat your food!

It reminds me of the biblical story of 2 sisters named Martha and Mary (you can read the whole story in Luke 10:38-41).  Mary sat with the guests and visited, while Martha did all the work in the kitchen of getting a meal ready.  Martha was so preoccupied with preparing food for her unexpected visitors (one of whom was Jesus) that all she did was work the whole time they were there.  Mary, on the other hand, knew that it was more important to spend time with them than to serve the finest meal they had ever had! 

When Martha complained to Jesus, “Don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!”, he replied, “Martha, Martha…you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:40-41

Don’t be a Martha!  Choose what is better – to keep in mind the reason for the day.  Remember the most important thing: Thanksgiving is NOT about food.  Even if Thanksgiving dinner is at your house and you have tons of family coming in from out of town, the point of the day is spending time with your loved ones and be grateful for all the wonderful things in your life.  Your family will not care if the food you prepare or the table you set for Thanksgiving is the best you’ve ever done in your life!  Give your guests the gift of your presence and let them know that you are thankful for them being there with you.

It’s important to keep things in perspective in order to maintain your own peace and sanity on what, for many people, is an incredibly stressful day.  Choose what is better and stop hustling and bustling to get every detail perfect.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Get ready for Thanksgiving the frugal way with these great tips.  Let’s plan ahead to work smarter, not harder, and to stay organized.  That way we can focus on what’s really important, the true meaning of Thanksgiving.   Keep turkey day stress-free, budget-friendly, and family-focused.

Tips For A Stress-Free Thanksgiving

Hitched Magazine shares these great stress-reducing Thanksgiving tips with us:

“* Set your table the night before.

* Purchase your turkey, ham or both in as far advance as you can without sacrificing quality. If you need to buy frozen to save yourself the hassle of holiday crowds then by all means do so.

* Decide right now what you are going to prepare and what time your gathering will be. Be sure to consult your family members as to what works for them and try to pick the best time for everyone.

* Make a list of who is bringing which dishes and send it to everyone if you have a big family. They’ll be grateful for the reminder.”

-Read the rest of their frugal and time-saving Thanksgiving tips here.

Keeping the Thanks in Thanksgiving

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving in the blogworld than by posting about your gratitude? You can participate by telling the world what you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving on your blog or on twitter or facebook. My friend Patty posted her gratitude list here at Little Bytes News.

“Many times through the years I’ve gotten caught up in the preparation and busy-ness of this season and missed the opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of Thanksgiving until we sit down for grace.

“Now that I have a little one underfoot, I’ve been thinking about the memories I want her to have of this holiday and the traditions I’d like to start for our family. I’ve done some advanced planning, and come up with some fun and easy activities to help remind us of the true spirit of Thanksgiving.”

- Keeping the Thanks in Thanksgiving from Problem Solvin’ Mom

Momstoppable brings us a great recipe for the sweet potato leftovers we’re bound to have after Thanksgiving.

The link treasury: check out Thanksgiving on a Budget where people from across the blogworld have left their best Thanksgiving tips!

Get more frugal Thanksgiving Tips at Frugal Friday!  This article was originally published November 25, 2008. 

Photos courtesy of stock.xchng.